Biliverdin (“BV”) IXα (shown below) is the most common form of several BV isomers found in nature.
BV IXα is produced in animals, plants and microbes. In biological processes, BV IXα is known to undergo conversion to bilirubin IXα that in turn associates with cell membranes where it quenches the propagation of reactive oxygen species.
BV IXα is being investigated by numerous research groups as a possible therapeutic for various clinical applications. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,097,585 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0142751 disclose various therapeutic applications for BV IXα. Various methods of producing BV IXα are also being investigated, as outlined in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,455,222 (by the same primary investigators as in the instant application) and in U.S. Pat. No. 7,504,243 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0203762.
Despite the potential benefits of BV IXα as a therapeutic, additional and alternative therapeutics are desirable.